Discover China

China is the “country of the dragon”, with the dragon featuring prominently in Chinese mythology and folklore. The Shenzhen Daily article Country of the dragon introduces some fascinating places where you can learn about this aspect of Chinese history in the Year of the Dragon – Longmen Grottoes in Henan, Longji Terrace, Guangxi and Huanglong, Sichuan. I visited the amazing Longmen Grottoes during my trip to Luoyang in Henan Province in 2008 (see the story and pictures).

Songshan is considered to be the central sacred mountain of China. At the foot of this 1500 metre high mountain, close to the city of Dengfeng in Henan province and spread over a 40 square-kilometre circle, stand eight clusters of buildings and sites. These buildings are reflections of different ways of perceiving the centre of heaven and earth and the power of the mountain as a centre for religious devotion. Find out more about this amazing World Heritage listed location by watching the online videos of the CNTV Journeys in Time six-part Series: Mount Songshan.

I enjoyed a visit to the Songshan Shaolin Temple and its ancient pagoda forest as part of my travels through Anhui, Henan and Zhejiang provinces in 2009 (see story and pictures).

Surrounded by mountains that reach into the heavens and rivers that flow through mist-shrouded valleys, ancient Chinese artists’ efforts to capture the beauty of their homeland culminated in the masterpieces that many today know as Chinese landscape painting. For fans of these works of art who also want to experience the beauty of nature for themselves, East China’s Jiangxi province offers a range of mountains, rivers and waterways that bring an important part of the Chinese aesthetic to life.

The China Daily article On high ground profiles three of Jiangxi’s natural attractions that have been given UNESCO World Heritage listing for their natural beauty and cultural significance – Lushan National Park, Mount Sanqingshan National Park and Mount Longhu.

Putuo Mountain is an island in Zhoushan prefecture of Zhejiang Province, and is one of the four sacred mountains in Chinese Buddhism. It can be reached by boat from the major cities of Ningbo, also located in Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai. James Baquet continues his excellent series of Shenzhen Daily articles on Chinese temples with stories of his visits to temples and other sites on Putuo Mountain and a temple near Ningbo:

• Huiji Temple, Putuo Mountain
• Puji Temple, Putuo Mountain
• Fayu Temple, Putuo Mountain
• Nantianmen, Putuo Mountain
• Tiantong Temple, Ningbo

For previous articles in James Baquet’s series of articles on Chinese temples see Hangzhou’s Jingci Temple and Exploring Shenzhen’s Temples.

After three years of renovation, an ancient street in Ningbo city in eastern China has opened to welcome visitors from home and around for an authentic experience of traditional local culture. Find out more in the CNTV Culture Express story Taste old flavor of Ningbo.